Ford directs Metrolinx to study GO Transit expansion by diverting freight rails
CBC
Premier Doug Ford has directed Metrolinx to study expanding GO Transit across the Greater Golden Horseshoe region by diverting freight rails from existing lines.
The expansion, dubbed GO 2.0, could increase service along the Kitchener and Milton lines and create new GO lines and stations, Ford said in a letter to Metrolinx on Thursday.
"By leveraging existing freight rail infrastructure, GO 2.0 could help alleviate congestion and reduce travel times for passengers," Ford said in the letter, shared by a spokesperson with the premier's office.
He said the expansion could happen by building a new freight rail bypass adjacent to the Highway 407 corridor.
The freight rail bypass could be built between the Canadian Pacific Kansas City (CPKC) main line near Trafalgar Road in Milton and the Canadian National (CN) Bypass line at Bramalea, he said.
The premier directed Metrolinx to do a preliminary analysis of the benefits of GO 2.0 for passenger rail operations, compared to existing GO train expansion plans.
The Greater Golden Horseshoe region stretches north to Georgian Bay, south to Lake Erie, west to Wellington County and Waterloo Region, and east to Peterborough and Northumberland, according to the province.
Speaking on Thursday, Ontario NDP Leader Marit Stiles said the Ford government hasn't opened a single major transit project since they were elected.
She referred to the long-delayed Eglinton Crosstown, which is set to open no earlier than mid-2025, despite construction on the project beginning in 2011.
On the GO Transit expansion plan, Stiles said, "I'll believe it when I see it."
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